It's been awhile since we had a discussion about who recommends what tools and why.

So, here's an open forum to tell us what you use and why. After a brief period of discussion, we'll tally things up with a summary of recommended tools ... which will hopefully be a help to newbies and pro's alike.

So, will you share with us your picks for these tools? ... with a commentary on the reasons why you prefer them over others? Also mention whether they are free or require the purchase of a license.
Don't be afraid to repeat your choice even if someone else has mentioned it... popularity "is" valuable in this case.

Feel free to politely note any "bad choices" you may be aware of, and why.
(Nobody needs to take any offense if someone dis's your tools... let's keep this friendly, okay!)

1. What do you use/prefer?
2. Why or Why Not, or why not something else?
3. Are they free?-

• • PHP Editors
• • HTML Editors
• • CSS Editors
• • Text-Search Tools
• • Graphics Editors
• • Screenshot Tools
• • Color Pickers
• • Diff Tools
• • FTP Tools
• • Browser Addon's/Utilities
• • Validators
• • External Resources/Tutorials
• • Database Manipulation Tools (keep in mind, easy to use, esp for newbies)
• • Other things?

- PHP Editors textpad ( CHEAP )

- HTML Editors Arachnophillia ( FREE )

- CSS Editors textpad ( CHEAP )

- Text-Search Tools textpad ( CHEAP )

- Graphics Editors photoshop ( not free not even close )

- Screenshot Tools Keyboard and photoshop ( not free not even close )

- Color Pickers

- Diff Tools

- FTP Tools wsftp pro ( not free not even close )

- Browser Addon's/Utilities firefox, with dev tools, IE with dev tools

- Validators

- External Resources/Tutorials demo-demo.com

- Database Manipulation Tools (keep in mind, easy to use, esp for newbies)

All of these tools are freeware

FileZilla (FTP client) http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla
WinMerge (File Comparison Utility) http://winmerge.org/
Notepad++ (Text Editor) http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
TopStyle Lite (CSS Editor) http://topstyle-lite.en.softonic.com/ie/14884
PhotoPlus6 (Photo/Image Editing) http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/PhotoPlus/default.asp
FireFox (Browser) http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
Web Developer (Add-On for FireFox) https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/60/
CSS Viewer (Add-On for FireFox) https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2104/

Color Picker - Vista (Free) from
http://www.skinnables.org/apps.php?section=graphics

• • PHP Editors
• • HTML Editors
• • CSS Editors
    ==> TopStyle Lite (free) / TopStyle Pro (Commercail)
• easy to use, can be used as CSS learning tools.
  
• • Text-Search Tools
    ==> Search and Replace for Windows, from Funduc Software, (commercial)
• https://www.funduc.com/search_replace.htm
• Fast, Search & replace, across multiple files in multiple subdirectories and Zip files.
• find in search results
• Support multi Languages, Reg. Exp., Scripts,
• contents can be edited directly after search or by external editor.
• (settle down after many trial of others)
  
• • Graphics Editors
• • Screenshot Tools
    ==> Wink - a Tutorial and Presentation creation software for window (freeware).
    https://www.debugmode.com/wink/
• easy to use, short learning curve, creat Flash, screenshot, adding callout for text explanations
• Completely PC and Web ready with exports to PDF, HTML, SWF and EXE formats.
• with smaller output file size.

==> Screenshot For the Web Page inside Browser <==

1. Snapper - Firefox extension, https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2703/

• allows to designate an area of a web page for a focused snapshot, cutting out the additional work needed for cropping unecessary information.

2. Screen grab! - Firefox extension, https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1146/

• You can save the entire page as an image (it scrolls around the page taking shots and stitches it together), just the visible portion, or the browser window.
  
• • Color Pickers
    ==> ColorZilla, Firefox Extension, http://www.iosart.com/firefox/colorzilla/
    
• • Diff Tools
• • FTP Tools
• • Browser Addon's/Utilities
    
    Firefox extension:

1. Aardvark - http://karmatics.com/aardvark/

• view source, find css classes, ids, help debug.
  = quote =
  • Clean up unwanted banners and surrounding "fluff," especially prior to printing a page
  • See how the page is created, block by block
  • View the source code of one or more elements

2. FireBug - http://www.joehewitt.com/software/firebug/

• view source, find css classes, ids, help debug.
  = Quote =
• lets you explore the far corners of the DOM by keyboard or mouse. All of the tools you need to poke, prod, and monitor your JavaScript, CSS, HTML and Ajax are brought together into one seamless experience, including a debugger, error console, command line, and a variety of fun inspectors.

3. Selenium IDE - http://www.openqa.org/selenium-ide/

• for advanced user
  = quote =
• an integrated development environment for Selenium tests. It is implemented as a Firefox extension, and allows you to record, edit, and debug tests. Selenium IDE includes the entire Selenium Core, allowing you to easily and quickly record and play back tests in the actual environment that they will run.

4. SourceEditor - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1760/

• for test, debug, trial and error for html element
  = quote =
  View and Edit source of HTML element.
  Use the button on status bar to activate/desactivate and the double click or the context menu to edit source of the selected element

5. Web Developer

• a must have

• • Validators
• • External Resources/Tutorials
• • Database Manipulation Tools (keep in mind, easy to use, esp for newbies)

===============
Another suggestions, to help the use and support of the forum:
Firefox extensions:

1. BBCodeXtra - http://bbcodextra.extenzilla.org/index.php?lang=eng&sez=1
   = quote =
   adds to the context menu new commands to insert BBCode/Html/XHtml codes in an easy and fast way.

BBCodeXtra suits well with all forum types, for example:
* phpBB
* Invision
* VBullettin
This extension can really simplify your life with all forums that use BBCode or Html codes when posting new messages.

2. CoLT - http://www.borngeek.com/firefox/colt/

• easy to use, copy both the url link and associated text information for the better references.

= Quote =
CoLT (short for "Copy Link Text") is a very tiny extension for Mozilla Firefox which makes it easier than ever to copy a hyperlink's associated text.

For example, if I were to use this extension to copy this link to this thread - Favorite Tools of the Trade
, the copied text would quite literally be this link of - Favorite Tools of the Trade.

.

To the excellent lists posted above, I would add the following Firebox add-ins:

HTML Tidy for quick validation of the HTMl being produced and

View Source Chart for graphical representation of a pages structure (really helpful for seeing which where divs and elements are nested and therefore where to apply CSS styles)

DREAMWEAVER , not cheap. This tool does it all, the CSS ability is brilliant and it can be used as an FTP also.

• PHP Editors
• HTML Editors
• CSS Editors
• Text-Search Tools

MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS and JASC PAINTSHOP, paintshop is quite cheap and useful as a screenshot and mnipulation tool. Fireworks is expensive but invaluable and has an excellent optimising facility. The files can be "shrunk so much yet you can hardly notice the difference.

• Graphics Editors
• Screenshot Tools
• Color Pickers

ACE FTP, easy to use and setup, Free or close to it.

• FTP Tools

FIREFOX WEB DEVELOPER, free and a MUST have for anyone doing CSS stuff. Easy to use.

• Browser Addon's/Utilities

XAMPP, when you want to play around with your shopping cart and test things, but cant risk going live. This is the tool for you. You can set up your own server on your own PC in 15 minutes flat. The product installs itself, you dont have to know anything !! (well almost anything). it has MYSQL, phpmy admin etc etc. You never have to be afraid to play in the sandbox ever again .One downfall I found is that it runs on my PC as a windows server. A minor inconvenience only.

• Misc
• Database Manipulation Tools

Gerard :smile:

Gerald must be my clone.

I use DreamWeaver, JASC for images, Firefox web developers tools.

What nobody has mentioned is my favorite text editor. I like HomeSite. It comes bundled with DreamWeaver. Most of the time, I use HomeSite to edit everything. Comes with CSS editors too. I like the way it handles my php to show lines.

DreamWeaver is a nice tool. I use it when designing new sites. Nice control of CSS. After a site is launched and functional, I use HomeSite to edit my html and php and CSS. HomeSite also integrates with TopStyle CSS editor. Good Stuff Maynard! (from the movie...oh gosh I must be old.)

The DreamWeaver packages are not cheap. But well worth the money. And a nice toy.

Doesn't anybody use HomeSite anymore? It used to be made by Allaire, then Macromedia bought it, and now it is Adobe.

Here's what I use that hasn't already been mentioned:

PHP, HTML, CSS Editor :: xint (FREE)

Graphics Editor :: GIMP (FREE)

local web server for dev environment :: Apache2triad (FREE)

PHP coding environment :: Eclipse IDE (FREE) with TruStudio PHP plugin (FREE)

WYSIWYG Editor: NVU/Dreamweaver

Images: GIMP

PHP Editor: Win32Pad

Entertainment: WINAMP

Editors.
Dreamweaver MX2004
Zend Studio
Homesite(don't use too much anymore).

Graphics.
Corel Paint shop Pro X (Yep Corel bought out JASC)
Fireworks MX2004
Photoshop CS2
XAT.com (Image optimization)

FTP
Zend Studio
WSFTP Pro
FlashFXP

CSS
Top Style Pro

Dreamweaver 8 - expensive
Flash 8 - expensive
Fireworks 8 - expensive
(all you ever need for the web really but not cheap)
Smart FTP - free
Photoshop CS2 - expensive
Illustrator CS2 - expensive
Winmerge - free
ACDSee 8 (good image browser) - quite cheap
Swift3D - Great 3d flash programme - quite cheap
Wink - Great tutorial maker - free

And most importantly windows media player :yes:

wow I'm following in Reesy's footsteps

Dreamweaver8
Fireworks 8
Illustrator CS2
Photoshop CS2
Flash 8
FileZilla (used be SmartFTP but had horrible problems)
Crimson Text editor (was using notepad but it was adding weird lines)
Firefox with:
web dev toolkit
colorzilla
View source chart
FireFTP
JSView

I have SiteSpinner also. That's been easy to design with, but horrible for the code it generates.

I have GoLiveCS2 also and that helped me learn CSS a little bit more.

The learning curve on these big guys has been almost as hard as the learning curve for this whole endeavor.

I am studiously looking at the freeware and simplified programs you guys have listed here and taking notes! It needs to be reliable, KISS and tested.

ladysaat:

I am studiously looking at the freeware and simplified programs you guys have listed here and taking notes! It needs to be reliable, KISS and tested.
Great! Will look forward to your feedback.

As an aside, it's always great to know when a freeware tool does as good a job as an expensive commercial application.

DrByte:

It's always great to know when a freeware tool does as good a job as an expensive commercial application.Should that be when another freeware tool does as good a job as an expensive commercial application :smile:.

:thumbsup:

PHP Editors, HTML Editors, CSS Editors
TextMate
BBEdit (on occasion for text editing)

Text-Search Tools
TextMate for simple searching
BBEdit for power searching

Graphics Editors
Adobe Photoshop CS
Adobe ImageReady CS
Adobe Illustrator CS
Pixen
IcoMaker

Screenshot Tools
Snapz Pro X

Color Pickers
Color Schemer Studio

Diff Tools
BBEdit

FTP Tools
Transmit

Browser Addon's/Utilities
Safari WDA (WebDevAdditions)

Validators
Those built into TextMate & BBEdit
W3C

External Resources/Tutorials
SitePoint
php.net
mysql.com

Database Manipulation Tools
phpMyAdmin
MySQL Administrator
MySQL Query Browser
MySQL Workbench
mysql command line
phpPgAdmin
PostgreSQL GUI Tools for Mac OS X
pgAdmin
psql command line

Other things?
BrowserCam w/ remote access
Chicken of the VNC (for remote access)
OmniGraffle Professional (wireframing, ERD, UML, etc)
OmniOutliner (sometimes for quick TODO lists, etc)
Retrospect Express (twice daily incremental backups to external drive)
Studiometry (project & client management)
Terminal
Dev. tools for PHP:

• XDebug
• PHPUnit2
  Subversion:
• svnX
• svn command line

EDITED: Tell us about your fav software ... please don't sell it to us ... thanks :smile:

- PHP Editors = Notepad,TextPad

- HTML Editors = Notepad

- CSS Editors =Notepad

- Text-Search Tools = TextPad

- Screenshot Tools = Print Screen, Photoshop

- Color Pickers = What??

- Diff Tools = TextPad

- FTP Tools = CuteFTP,FileZilla

- Browser Addon's/Utilities=Firefox

- Database Manipulation Tools (keep in mind, easy to use, esp for newbies)=PHPMyAdmin

- Other things?..hmm....Shopping Cart=Zen Cart :)

After taking an instant dislike to FF, I know little of their tools, though I have been recommended many times to look into using it. But I just prefer Opera as my browser.

Anyway, I recently downloaded and fell in love with notepad ++. Untill a few months ago I was completely old school, doing everything except html in normal notepad. Though I was on a major break from anything web related so I wasn't exactly using it much, and have only been really into into web design for the last few years, I haven't had much experience of other tools, and notepad just felt comfortable.

Then in my travels on the net a few weeks ago I came accross notepad ++. I downloaded it and have been using it since. I look back on when I was using the standard notepad and wonder why I put myself through it, having all the tags clearly standing out to me makes everything so much easier, and quicker.

However, I am still open to any suggestions anyone may have, though being extremely short on funds atm (such is the student life) it would preferably have to be open source or free software, or something with a free trial so I can think about buying it at a later date.

Oh, for the record, I use dreamweaver 8 for html editing and most webdesign.
I have the entire macromedia package, in fact I was playing around making flash today, whichkept me entertained for an afternoon. Lol
For Image editing and creation I use Photoshop CS and Image Ready CS
I do have the Zen Package installed, but have never used it, and not being much good at php, I doubt I will in the forseable future

Just a question about FF. What exactly does their designer tool kit offer, and is it worth me converting to FF as my default browser?